"The true champion" - Fans hail Regian Eersel's status as an all-time great in pure beatdown of Alexis Nicolas

ONE lightweight Muay Thai world champion Regian Eersel ascended to a higher plane of greatness at ONE Fight Night 30 last Friday, April 4, thanks to a five-round masterclass against rival Alexis Nicolas in their trilogy bout.

Initially set to have Eersel defending the ONE lightweight kickboxing world championship, he lost the gold on the scales for failing the pre-fight hydration test. Meanwhile, 'Barboza' passed with flying colors.

With Nicolas being the only one eligible to win the 170-pound kickboxing crown, 'The Immortal' poured out all of his frustration upon him and dropped him with a picture-perfect haymaker in the closing moments of the second round.

Though Eersel could not finish the French star, he left the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, with a majority decision victory.

Check out the knockdown sequence below, which ONE shared on Instagram:

Fans paid respect to Eersel's showing in the comments section, writing:

"The true Champion! With or without the belt! 🔥"

"REGIAN IS THE MOST DOMINANT FIGHTER IN ONE RIGHT NOW!"

"Man that was some crazy action out there 🙌"

"Now go get your belt back! Because you're the champion with or without the belt🔥💪🏽🇸🇷👊🏾"

"Is, was, and shall remain the champion...🔥"

Screenshot of comments. [ONE Championship/Instagram]

Fans in the United States and Canada with an active Prime Video subscription can rewatch ONE Fight Night 30 on demand.

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Regian Eersel opens up on future career plans

With Regian Eersel having triumphantly shut the door on his rivalry with Alexis Nicolas, the question now is what he does next. In an interview with combat sports journalist Nick Atkin ahead of ONE Fight Night 30, the Surinamese-Dutch star said:

"Maybe I have to do a super fight. Mixed rules, or maybe a fight with a featherweight if they want to move up. Or maybe a catchweight. We will see."

Watch the entire interview below:

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